# Anyone ever caught Reduced Shakespeare? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2002, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013 "2002-03-31T03:29:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/1 "2002-03-31T03:29:14Z")
> **[Home - Reduced Shakespeare Company](https://www.reducedshakespeare.com/)** > > The Reduced Shakespeare Company is a three-man comedy troupe that takes long, serious subjects and reduces them to short, sharp comedies. They take Shakespeare’s play’s and make fun of them. Very funny stuff. They were on PBS here tonight. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/2 "2002-03-31T03:34:39Z")
My high school put on a version of the Compleat Works of William Shakespeare, which I believe is a RST Co. production. I’ve very rarely laughed that hard. I wish I had seen the official version. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/3 "2002-03-31T03:39:15Z")
That’s what they did tonite…I laughed till tears. Very creative. And bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Kahuna_Burger)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/4 "2002-03-31T03:49:31Z")
I’ve seen it 3 times The first time was my freshman year of high school. English classes were given the option of seeing it, and I didn’t bother waiting for my teacher to decide. I came to know one of the guys in it and he said the school made them cut some funny stuff, so when I was in London two summers ago I persuaded my family to see it. Then last summer I saw it on a date at the Kennedy Center. I shelled out some of my last 70 bucks to see a version worse than the English one, though better than my school one. Apparently they do a similar thing with US history–I’d like to see it. ---
**Author:** ![tetsusaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@tetsusaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetsusaru)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/5 "2002-03-31T06:15:46Z")
Quite funny, but a little threadbare by now: I caught it in London about 5 years ago, and it had already been going for years. Worth seeing, but not worth going to see, like the man said. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/6 "2002-03-31T07:15:24Z")
I caught them in Tel Aviv in 1997, during the earlier stages of my courtship of (the future) Mrs. Alessan. I also have their BBC radio show on tape, and it’s even funnier than their stage act. Don’t try to drive while listening to it unless you have _excellent_ motor control. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/7 "2002-03-31T12:01:31Z")
They did a bit titled “The Twelve Tips of Christmas” which I heard on the Dr. Demento show several years ago. One of the funniest things I ever heard around the holidays. 😃 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/8 "2002-03-31T12:15:36Z")
We saw “The Complete History of America” in London last year. forwards and then backwards. They were a riot. Crowded little London theatre, the whole crowd had an absolute blast. It was actually our second choice but a good choice they were. The three there were, I believe, Adam, Kyle and Gary (or was he Kirk). It was long ago. By the way buy their program. It’s quite funny and a great keepsake to remember them by. Then when we get home we find the other members of their troop were doing the same play up at Manoa Valley Theater! We would have gone again, just to see the difference, because there is some audience participation, and to see if they included anything about Hawaii, which wasn’t mentioned in London. But we were too exhausted from our 15 odyssey across England and Ireland. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/9 "2002-03-31T12:18:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Osiris \* > \*\*… 15 odyssey … \*\* Kindly insert **day** between 15 and odyssey please. Thank you and [sup]come[/sup] again. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/10 "2002-03-31T15:05:07Z")
We saw them first in Chicago, and the bit with the motorized Godzilla had the audience rolling on the floor for a good ten minutes… without any dialog from the actors at all. Every few minutes, one of the actors would just sigh, or stare at it again, and the whole place cracked up from the silliness. We saw it again in London, and that same bit didn’t draw more than a chuckle or two. ::: Shrug ::: I wasn’t thrilled with their History of America (seen in London) which I thought was … well… condescending, rather than funny. ---
**Author:** ![Journeyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/779978/32.png) [@Journeyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Journeyman)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/11 "2002-03-31T15:23:29Z")
Then, of course, there’s The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) 😃 I first saw the complete works at a local theatre, and I hadn’t laughed so hard in a long, long time. The many, many Hamlets they do - condensed, record-time-attempting, extremely condensed (Lartes, Hamlet, and Claudius walk onstage and stab themselves), and backwards - had me rolling in the aisles laughing. It’s brilliant stuff. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/12 "2002-03-31T18:25:21Z")
My college theatre (where I’m the designer) did _Shakespeare_ this year for our first show. Great stuff. I’ve also seen _History of America_ as well. I loved the bit with the founding fathers sitting around stoned, and writing the constitution: > [@](#): > > Franklin (taking a drag from joint): I know - let’s give them the right to free speech AND bear arms! > > (much drug-induced laughter from the others) ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/13 "2002-03-31T20:24:44Z")
Saw two different versions of both “Complete Works” and “Complete History” - local professional theatre company did them or the past couple of years. The new national athem: “Spread your tiny wings and fly away…” ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/14 "2002-03-31T20:45:38Z")
Actually, I saw the Complete Works on PBS a while back – I’d had it recommended to me many times, but I didn’t think it was all that funny (for the most part. The sketch with all the comedies condensed into one was great, and I liked the backwards Hamlet). Perhaps it’s better live… ---
**Author:** ![Samui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@Samui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Samui)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/15 "2002-04-01T02:21:57Z")
Just saw _The Complete Works of Shakspeare (abridged)_ 2 days ago, in london, on a whim. I was utterly unprepared for the shear hilarity of it. It has been a long time since I laughed so hard for so long. I particularly liked psycho-analyzing Ophelia (sp?) ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-caught-reduced-shakespeare/101013/16 "2002-04-01T12:38:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Samui \* > \*\*Just saw _The Complete Works of Shakspeare (abridged)_ 2 days ago, in london, on a whim. I was utterly unprepared for the shear hilarity of it. It has been a long time since I laughed so hard for so long. I particularly liked psycho-analyzing Ophelia (sp?) \*\* I made my London stage debut last year when I was called on-stage from the audience for this scene! I got to play “Ego.” It was a great time, and the Reduced Shakespeare Co. put on a great show. Though if you’re the shy type, I don’t recommend sitting in the front row!